The EuropaBON Stakeholder Dashboard: A dynamic web application to map Europe’s biodiversity community

PLOS One | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0329390 August 13, 2025 1 / 16 OPEN ACCESS Citation: Langer C, Junker J, Giergiczny M, McCallum I, Georgieva I, Pereira HM (2025) The EuropaBON Stakeholder Dashboard: A dynamic web application to map Europe’s biodiversity community. PLoS One 20(8): e0329390. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0329390 Editor: Florian Borgwardt, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien: Universitat fur Bodenkultur Wien, AUSTRIA Received: December 5, 2024 Accepted: July 16, 2025 Published: August 13, 2025 Peer Review History: PLOS recognizes the benefits of transparency in the peer review process; therefore, we enable the publication of all of the content of peer review and author responses alongside final, published articles. The editorial history of this article is available here: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0329390 Copyright: © 2025 Langer et al . This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, RESEARCH ARTICLE The EuropaBON Stakeholder Dashboard: A dynamic web application to map Europe’s biodiversity community Christian Langer 1,2*, Jessica Junker1,2,3,4, Marek Giergiczny1,2, Ian McCallum5, Ivelina Georgieva5, Henrique Miguel Pereira1,2,6 1 Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany, 2 German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany, 3 Re:wild, Austin, Texas, United States of America, 4 Senckenberg Museum for Natural History Görlitz, Görlitz, Germany,

5 International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria, 6 BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal * christian.langer@idiv.de Abstract Europe’s biodiversity faces increasing pressure from climate change, pollution, and habitat loss, while governments struggle to sustain the monitoring efforts required to respond effectively to these challenges. Addressing this gap calls for a coordinated and inclusive approach that brings together all relevant biodiversity stakeholders to co-design a robust European biodiversity monitoring system. To support this, the Europa Biodiversity Observation Network (EuropaBON) has established one of the most comprehensive biodiversity stakeholder networks in Europe. To analyse this community and support evidence-based improvements, we developed the Europa- BON Stakeholder Dashboard – a dynamic, interactive web application that maps and visualises the EuropaBON stakeholder network’s structure in real-time. Accessible at https://europabon.org/dashboard, the dashboard enables users to explore stake- holder connections across three key dimensions: occupational sector, realm (terres- trial, freshwater, marine), and geographic region. It displays detailed network graphs, an interactive map, and summary statistics that highlight institutional positions in bio- diversity data flows (e.g., data users, data providers, or both), levels of participation in EuropaBON activities, and connections to key EU projects and infrastructures. Users

can identify the most central and active institutions in the network, filter and download data, and assess coverage across different thematic areas and regions. This tool supports both researchers and policymakers by offering an up-to-date overview of who is involved in biodiversity monitoring across Europe, where collaborations exist, and where further engagement is needed. By combining technological integration with stakeholder participation, the EuropaBON Stakeholder Dashboard enhances transparency, promotes inclusivity, and contributes to a more coordinated and effec- tive biodiversity monitoring landscape in Europe.